Reasonable Excuses
by Mystical Authoress
Summary: Takes place post-game and post-manga/anime. Meister Kirisaki finds himself stuck in Lazulis City, with not idea of how he got here. With the guards believing him to be an intruder of sorts as well as other chaos happening, he does his best to survive as he is forced to make some reasonable excuses regarding his identity and existence in Lazulis City.
1. Beginning

**Author note: I do not own 'The Last Story' or 'Yakitate! Japan.'**

**I don't really know how in the world I thought up a crossover like this...I hope I do get everyone in decent character. **

**Warnings: Possible spoilers for the Last Story as this takes place post-game, possible spoilers for some parts of 'Yakitate! Japan,' violence, usage of alcohol, possible pairings and I think that's it...**

**Construcitve Criticism or reviews would be great, and I hope you guys read, review and enjoy! Thanks!**

* * *

Reasonable Excuses

_1. Beginning_

Meister Kirisaki woke up, feeling the rough ground underneath his somewhat-sore body. He blinked, his light blue eyes a bit dazed, and sat up, before realizing something as he looked around...

He wasn't on a ground, technically. He was on a roof, literally.

"What the-" He did his best to straighten his titanium mask as he looked around quietly. "This isn't Japan." He concluded to himself before he noticed a window nearby. He looked upwards, realizing the window was attached to a tower, and attached to the tower was a gigantic building with other towers attached to it as well.

_This is a castle? And I'm on the roof of it? How odd..._

Meister wasn't sure of how he ended up here, but at least it wasn't like he was in an ocean swimming for his life or something. If this place was a castle, there should be people in there. And if there are people in there, they might be able to help him.

He cautiously made his way towards the window, carefully balancing on the unsteady roofing and tried to pry open the window with his bare hands. Unfortunately, it was stuck shut. Meister let out a sigh of frustration, realizing that it was probably locked. Before he could turn away from the window, he then took notice that a lady, dressed in a black dress with a white apron, had spotted him.

"Excuse me, miss? Can you-" He started speaking, praying that she could hear him, but the woman let out a scream at his sudden appearance and fainted instantly. He let out a groan. "Do I actually look scary with the mask on? Or maybe it was me appearing in front of the window like that..." He asked himself, but he had no time to answer as a figure clad in armor from head-to-toe rushed into the room, saw him, and started to load a crossbow. "Wait, _don't-"_

He dove out of the way just as the arrow pierced through the window, causing him to tumble downwards and off the roof. He flipped a few times in the air, and landed on some roofing below on both feet, using his arms to help him balance.

"So much for that idea." He murmured quietly, before looking below him. There were some people strolling about in the open space, with a large fountain in the middle. There was also some greenery strategically placed about, and he immediately assumed it must be a courtyard. He took note of the set of large doors to his right, and figured that they probably led to inside the castle. And inside the castle, there must be a way to get out of the castle grounds.

Before he could continue with his train of thought, he noticed a few people, clad in the same armor as the figure that shot at him with the crossbow earlier, enter the courtyard.

"Search! Look for the intruder!" He heard from below. "He could be anywhere..."

"Goodness gracious." Meister murmured quietly. "This is not good..."

_So much for getting help, here. I doubt anyone would believe me if I told them I woke up on the rooftops, anyway. Suppose I have no choice but to go outside the castle, then..._

He hesitated, before taking a few steps back. He took a deep breath, before running and leaping off the roof and onto the stone-tiled floor of the courtyard. Some of the armor-clad people let out a cry of shock as he bolted towards the large doors.

_"Get that man! Now!"_

Meister paid no attention to the soldiers rushing after him as he entered what appeared to be a large hall, filled with other people. There was a large staircase to his right, but his mind was focused on the large pair of doors to his left, now. He prayed that they led to outside of this building...

One of the guards moved to try to block him, but being the agile person he always was, he simply ducked to his right and tripped the guard quickly before rushing through the doors.

Sunlight temporarily blinded him as he continued to rush away from the soldiers and through what appeared to be a plaza. There were some children and adults that seemed shocked by his sudden presence, as well as the soldiers chasing him.

_"He's getting away!"_

The blond focused a bit on his breathing as he neared the streets. He ducked into a nearby alley, hoping that it connected to another street and that he could blend in with the crowds of people walking about.

His luck ran out as soon as he realized he had hit a dead end. He turned, spotting the guards nearing him.

_"Don't move."_ One of them growled, before lunging at him. Immediately, Meister did what most people would do-fight, of course, until he could figure out a way to get out of this. The guard was kicked in the face, before given a harsh punch to the stomach.

"I do apologize in advance for the inconvenience I will bring right now." Meister spoke to the other guards before sending a few more punches and kicks flying towards them. He didn't exactly like violence, and he honestly didn't want to pick a fight with these soldiers, but they weren't going to listen to his explanations. They crumpled to the ground quickly, and Meister let out a sigh before glancing at some nearby crates stacked together. He scrambled onto the crates, before climbing onto the roofing.

He quickly rushed across the rooftops, doing his best to get as far as he could from those guards. As soon as he felt that he had run a safe distance, he sat down and let out a quiet breath of relief before cringing a bit. Dang it, he'd twisted his ankle in the chaotic pursuit earlier... Oh well. There wasn't much he could do about it for now except to rest a bit for now.

He quietly did his best to stretch a bit. Thank goodness he had that amount of agility and strength...He had to thank his childhood in France for that. If it wasn't for that, surely he would have been assaulted successfully every day by pickpockets or bullies at school back then, and would have ended up losing hard-earned money he got from selling bread that he made himself...

Before he had a complete chance to relax, though, a bunch of popping sounds suddenly interrupted his peace and he jumped back somewhat, startled. He felt something get snatched out of his sleeve, and he turned to see a young child staring in confusion as he pulled out a bunch of scarves, tied together like a rope, in one hand. The other hand held something else-a peacock feather-and Meister immediately gritted his teeth slightly, realizing that they must have grabbed little bit of his pet bird that was safely hidden behind his mask...

"What the-" He looked up at Meister, before fleeing. "Leolio, Catoleya, run!" he shouted. He and two other children that Meister now spotted fled, and Meister felt compelled to follow them. Not only did they just take one of his old magic things, but they plucked a feather from his beloved pet!

"Get back here, please!" Meister shouted as he leapt from one rooftop to the next. "Seriously, it's not nice to take things from other people!" He hated to sound so harsh, but he was already frustrated from all the chasing that had occurred so far. He eventually corned them in an alley, and he took a deep breath before speaking. "Give them both back. Please." He spoke quietly, calming himself. "The feather...um, it belongs to my pet and he honestly doesn't like it when people pluck feathers from it like that. Actually, I don't think any bird likes that. And the scarves...I think I'll need them. Most of them, anyway."

"Fine." The girl huffed. "Braso, give them back..." The boy that held the items gave them back to Meister.

"Thank you." Meister spoke quietly in response. "I'm just wondering, miss..."

"Catoleya." The girl responded quietly, before gesturing to the other boys. "These guys are Leolio and Braso, my friends. And who are you, bird man?"

"Bird man?" Meister paused, remembering that there were feathers sticking out of his mask... "My name is...Sylvan. Sylvan Kirisaki." He introduced himself quietly. "I was just wondering...What is this place, exactly?"

Braso's face seemed to scrunch up slightly. "You don't know what this place is? Are you a traveler or something?" He asked, crossing his arms. "Everyone knows what Lazulis City is!"

"I see...And about the traveler remark, perhaps one could assume I am one..." He trailed off, looking down at his frilled white shirt and matching-coloured trousers and shoes. "A travelling entertainer, to be more precise. A magician." He figured that no one was going to believe that he was general manager of the main branch of the bakery Pantasia in Tokyo, Japan. Having the identity of a magician suited him, anyway, considering that he did know magic tricks. "Do you know any place where I could stay, perhaps? I am in need of shelter, and the people I tried to ask earlier," He winced at the memory of the guards, "Were not very helpful."

"Well..." Leolio paused, before pointing to his left. "If you go down there, I think you're pretty close to Ariela's Tavern. I'm sure she wouldn't mind taking you in as long as you have enough money."

Meister cringed as he realized that he _probably _didn't have any cash on hand. "...Do you think it's possible to work it off? I think I might be staying in this city for a while."

"Maybe." Catoleya responded, shrugging a bit. "Well, see ya later, mister Sylvan!" The kids rushed off before he could ask anymore questions, and Meister let out a sigh. He immediately summoned his pet peacock, Coo, out from behind his mask, and the bird let out a caw before Meister put a finger to his lips.

"Hush, Coo." Meister spoke quietly, looking around as he got down on a knee to face his pet properly. "Look, I don't know how we got into this city. And I'm sorry that those kids were able to pluck a feather from you. Just...Just behave, alright? If either of us screws up something, we'll probably end up in a jail or get killed." The bird obediently nodded, and Meister stood, before glancing towards the end of the alley.

Hopefully, at Ariela's Tavern, there would be someone to help him out there. And if he was going to survive in this city, he would probably have to make a few reasonable lies, or as he saw it, reasonable and believable excuses for his identity as well.

* * *

**Author note: ...I've always wondered how Meister was able to summon all those birds from underneath his mask...Or how he got them behind his mask in the first place. Then again, he's a magician, and a magician never reveals his tricks. **


	2. A place to stay

_2. A place to stay_

Meister swung open the door to Ariela's Tavern, relieved that he had gotten there without being spotted by any other guards. He was definitely in need of rest, as he was completely exhausted from running about earlier, and his ankle wasn't going to be any better without rest. He made it to the counter, doing his best to avoid brushing any shoulders with the drunken people at the tables, before he sat down at a stool and waited.

A young woman appeared a few moments later, and Meister looked at her carefully. She had reddish brown hair, pushed back by a red bandanna that she wore. She also wore a white tank top with a brown off-the-shoulder shirt with dark pants and shoes.

"Welcome to the tavern, sir. Would you like to order anything?" She asked, gesturing to a menu she had brought with her.

"No thank you." Meister responded politely. "Actually, I was wondering if I could speak to Miss Ariela."

"Well," The young lady replied, smiling. "You're talking to her right now. What is it that you need to speak to me about, sir?"

Meister swallowed, before speaking. "I was wondering if I could reside here for a while. I don't know how long it will be, though, so perhaps I could work here if you'd like." He started. "I would pay, but I don't have any money, and I don't even know how I got into this city in the first place...Or how to get back..." He trailed off quietly.

Ariela paused, before speaking up. "Well, I suppose that could be arranged. Things have been getting busier lately since the fighting between Lazulis and the Gurak ceased about a month ago, so we could use all the help we can get to keep up with things. You can run errands or help in the kitchen. Can you cook?"

"Yes, I can. I can learn quickly, too." Meister responded, nodding once. "Thank you, Ariela."

"It's no problem. I can show you to a room now, if you'd like. It should be the first one to the right." Ariela replied as she walked out from behind the counter. The two started to walk up the stairs when she spoke up. "What's your name, by the way?"

"My name is Sylvan. Sylvan Kirisaki." He responded, smiling a bit at her. "It's a pleasure to meet you and to work with you, Ariela." While he was speaking, he accidentally opened a door-revealing two women who were in the process of getting changed. The two ladies let out a scream as Meister shut the door quickly, mortified. "Erm...I suppose I should apologize to them later...Sorry..."

"It's supposed to be the first one to the right, not left..." Ariela trailed off with a sigh. "Mirania may let you off easily, but I don't Syrenne will be too happy about it...You might want to be a bit more careful around her."

"Thanks for the advice..." He muttered quietly as he entered his room. It was small, but surely decent enough. There was a comfy-looking bed in one corner, with a window at one end of the room as well. There was a dresser that was opposite the bed, and there was a bedtable as well. "Thank you for the lodgings, Ariela."

"It's no problem at all." Ariela responded, smiling. She then paused, looking at him carefully. "Are you some sort of travelling entertainer? You look the part."

"Um, yes. I'm a travelling magician." Meister responded, looking down at his attire. "Unfortunately, this is the only outfit I have. I lost all of my other attire on the way here." He fibbed. He hated to lie, but again, he doubted anyone would believe him if he said he was a general manager of a bakery, taking his appearance into consideration. "I'm sure I don't need anything too fanciful to wear if I am going to work in the kitchen, however. Nice-looking clothing doesn't belong there."

"True," Ariela agreed, "But if you ever need to perform, you need to look somewhat professional, right?"

"Hm. True." Meister agreed with her statement. "Perhaps I can get myself a few sets of clothing that can be used appropriately during work in the tavern, and I can get one set of spare clothing for whenever I perform my magic tricks."

"That sounds good." Ariela paused for a moment, before speaking up again. "You know, I think I could probably purchase some spare clothing for you for work in the tavern-"

"Oh, um...You don't need to..." Meister trailed off, but Ariela continued.

"Well, we can't have oil splashing on that attire, can we?" She concluded, gesturing to his frilled shirt and the rest of his fancy clothing that he currently wore. "And you'll have to take your mask off while working in the tavern, otherwise I'm afraid some people will think you're creepy or something."

"Oh." Meister didn't _think _he looked too creepy with the mask on, honestly, but he supposed it was better to be safe than sorry. Besides, the guards had never seen him without his mask on, so it would be harder for them to recognize him. He could probably tie his hair back, too, and the change of clothes would help conceal his identity further as well. Maybe a bit of makeup, once he could afford some, to look even more different-but only if necessary. "You have a point there, Ariela. Thank you, though I swear I will pay you back as soon as I can."

"At this rate you're going to go into debt and be unable to pay it off." The reddish-haired other responded, crossing her arms.

The long-haired blond let out a sigh. "I'm aware of that, thank you..."

* * *

Meister sighed as he lay in bed, the moonlight streaming through the window. He and Ariela had went off earlier to purchase some appropriate work clothing when in the tavern. Dang it, she was right-At this rate, he was going to end up in debt...The few sets of work clothing was already more than enough than he could afford, so he decided to not purchase any fancier clothing until he paid Ariela for everything.

_I do hope that things will turn out alright... _If there was one thing he hated besides not being able to repay people for favors such as these, it was lying. He hated lying-he never saw it as being the moral thing to do, but again, no one would believe him if he told them that he worked as the general manager of Pantasia. _Maybe once things get a bit clearer, I could tell Ariela the real story if she still trusts me and all. _

He paused in his train of thought, glancing at Coo, who was roosting on the top of the dresser. Ariela had been so surprised when he introduced the pet to her, and she promised not to roast it-as long as it wasn't an annoyance. Considering that he couldn't wear his mask for fear that the guards would recognize him, he couldn't really bring Coo around with him anywhere without people staring at it, so he would have to keep the poor bird locked up in his room.

Meister shifted his position a bit in an attempt to make himself more comfortable, He slowly drifted off to sleep, but not until he thought of something else.

_I wonder if anyone else I know ended up in this world..._


	3. Work

_3. Work_

Working at Ariela's Tavern wasn't too bad, as Meister discovered. Sure, there might be a couple drunken people every day, but keeping up with the fast pace of taking orders and serving them wasn't too bad, as long as he didn't upset them in any way. He was a fast learner, so he knew how to pour the right drinks in less than a minute and which orders of food went to which table quite well.

The customers consisted of a lot of mercenaries, but there were also travelers or citizens of Lazulis that lurked around at the tavern as well. Four customers in particular, all former mercenaries, actually lived here at the tavern, and Meister eventually came to know them all somewhat.

Syrenne was a fiesty, red-haired woman who didn't mind picking up a fight if challenged and had an addiction to alcohol. Meister had seen her go into drunken fits of rage, or pass out after drinking non-stop. He felt bad for her, despite it all being good for the business, and many times he helped her friends drag her to her room. A few times during these attempts, he had been slapped in the face, hard. It wasn't exactly a nice reward, but at least it wasn't like anyone would step on her if she collapsed on the floor during her alcohol-filled moments.

Lowell was a blond-haired mage of ice that seemed to like to flirt with almost every girl, but especially with Syrenne, Meister noticed. Despite his ladies-man nature at times, though, he was a pretty decent guy to talk with, and it was nice of him to help carry Syrenne to her room whenever she passed out. He even tried to give Meister advice on how to flirt with girls, as he noticed that some of the women in the tavern would try to flirt with him. Meister, however, always seemed unaware of this and never reciprocated their feelings, much to Lowell's dismay.

Mirania was a quiet, black-haired mage that could heal injuries in a snap. Despite her calm nature, however, she was also quite the consumer like Syrenne. However, it was not alcohol that she was after, but just food in general. Lowell had even told Meister of one time when she ate 214 muffins in one sitting, and Meister honestly thought that if he took her out to an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant, she would probably eat everything available. In that sense, she reminded him a bit about Kuroyanagi, and Meister wondered, if the raven-haired executive of Pantasia had ended up in this world, once in a while.

Yurick, a white-haired mage of fire, was the most quiet and distant out of the four, and he never seemed to enjoy being around the drunken Syrenne or the flirting Lowell. Instead, he would try to sit by himself or with Mirania, and he didn't seem to like speaking much, either. Meister did his best to try to engage in some conversation with him; and either succeeded, earning him some non-alcohol-filled/non-flirting related/non-food related conversation, or he failed, in which Yurick would glare at him with one icy-blue eye as a way to tell him to shut up. The other eye was hidden behind a black eyepatch, and Meister made a note to himself to ask him about it sometime.

They all had their perks, and Meister enjoyed their presences-yes, even Syrenne at times-and it was much better than some of the women that tried to flirt with him in the tavern. He didn't get what attracted them to him; was it his hair, maybe? Or was it his face, unmasked? Perhaps the work clothing didn't look too bad on him, or it was his polite behaviour that got them cooing over him? He wasn't completely sure, until he decided to ask Lowell about it, taking into consideration that Lowell was good with the ladies.

"I swear it's just you completely in general." The ice mage had replied to his question. "I mean, look at you. Lots of ladies love men that treat them nicely, and...well, you always seem to have this aura sort of thing that radiates elegance and grace and stuff like that. Ladies like that, too."

"Oh? Do I...?" Meister paused, looking down at himself. "How would you know if I have this 'aura' as you say, Lowell?"

"It's instinct, Sylvan." The blond replied, smoothing his short hair back with one hand. "Have you ever gotten the chills when walking past someone and you feel like they're not safe to be around? It's like that."

Meister hoped if that was true, the guards would be too dumb to realize from their instincts that he, being all disguised and such, was the same one who beat them up a while ago.

* * *

About a week after he had settled at the tavern, there arose a problem.

"Bartender! Get me another beer!" The already-drunken Syrenne shouted, raising her empty glass.

Ariela let out a quiet sigh. "I'm sorry, Syrenne, but you finished up all the alcohol we have in stock right now..." She trailed off quietly.

_"What!?" _The red-haired alcoholic exclaimed, her tone of voice sounding a lot more frustrated. "I need my booze and I need it now, I swear!" Yurick, sitting at another table, let out a sigh and simply went upstairs to go get some peace and quiet.

Ariela turned towards Meister, who had just finished polishing a few empty glasses. "I hate to spring this on you so suddenly, but can you go to the market and buy at least one or two small crates of beer so we can restock at least for the rest of the evening? I can give you the money to pay for it."

"I'll do it." Meister responded, nodding once. It would be nice to get some fresh air, and he knew the streets decently well, so he knew he wouldn't get lost too easily.

* * *

It didn't take too long to get to market, as he knew a shortcut to the place. Getting back, however, proved to be much more difficult, especially when carrying crates of alcohol through crowds of people.

There were a lot of people outside on the streets tonight. He didn't know why, exactly, but Ariela had warned him about the crowds that wandered about at night. He didn't expect the crowds to be so huge, though, and he had forgotten why they were.

At least, until he heard the sound of cheering. He turned, and saw armor-clad figures, marching down the street. Leading them was a young man, with white-hair and a long braid tied with a black ribbon. Despite that, however, he did not seem to look so feminine-not like Meister, and his armor was completely white with all sorts of designs engraved on it. His presence seemed so regal yet calm, so duty-bound, and Meister immediately remembered who he was.

Sir Therius. That was the knight's name. Ariela had told him that Therius, following the war between the Gurak and Lazulis, had went to the Empire to train hopefuls that would become true knights that cared about the people rather than themselves. Before then, the knights would rather do everything with their rank to command people to do what they wanted. Obviously, Therius and other people had seen that it was not right, if Therius had decided to take upon the task of training the knights-to-be.

Meister smiled a little bit in admiration. For someone to take up such a difficult task...He had to give some respect to Therius for that. He was sure it probably wasn't easy, and doing something like that probably needed a lot of confidence and determination to get through it all.

"Get out of the way, you idiot!" That was the only warning Meister got, before suddenly being pushed aside roughly. The blond had no time to catch his balance, and he accidentally let go of the small crates as he fell onto the stone ground. The crates and bottles burst open upon impact with the ground, causing glass and alcohol to go everywhere. The people let out gasps of horror, cries of anger or disappointed groans at the sight.

Meister got to his knees, doing his best to blink a bit and assess his surroundings. He instantly felt pain radiate at his hands, and he looked down to see that some of the glass from the bottles had cut both his palms. Blood seeped from both palms slowly, mixing with the alcohol that had spilled all over him, and he hissed slightly in pain.

Darn it. Not only did he lose all the alcohol, he'd made a mess of it, too...Meister gritted his teeth slightly in frustration as he continued to glance at the alcohol and glass-strewn ground. What was he going to do about this? Ariela would be upset, and Syrenne would probably give him a good beating if she hadn't passed out from the drunkenness yet...

"Are you alright?" He looked up to see Therius approach him slowly, getting onto a knee to face him properly. "Are you hurt?" He asked, extending a hand to him. The knight seemed awfully concerned, and it was a bit touching that he would stop to help Meister in the first place.

"I'm alright, save for my hands, but I cannot say the same for the alcohol I was delivering to the tavern, sir." Meister answered quietly, nodding once. Therius took one of Meister's hands in his, and he glanced at the wounds, before looking at his right sleeve. He tore it off, wrapping it about the palm and tying a knot, before gesturing to Meister to show him the other palm. He did the same to it as well, except he used torn cloth from his left sleeve.

"I'm afraid this is all I can do to alleviate your injuries. You should get them healed by someone who knows healing magic." Therius stated. He paused, helping Meister stand, before digging about in his pants pocket. He drew out a couple coins, and gestured to Meister to extend a hand towards him. Meister did so, and Therius dropped the coins into his hand. "I hope this can help pay for the alcohol that you need to deliver so urgently."

"Um..." Meister paused, before composing himself. "Thank you, sir. I do appreciate your help, and I-I can repay you the next time we encounter each other, I'm sure." He bowed deeply, as he assumed that considering that Sir Therius was of a higher rank, that was obvious that he should deserve some respect-even more so that he was so willing to help him out.

Therius seemed a bit surprised by the act of respect, but he seemed to approve of the action and he slowly turned away from Meister. "There is no need to repay me, but thank you for offering. I do hope that you are able to achieve what is needed to be done." He spoke, giving a quiet nod towards Meister before rejoining the other knights.

Meister was really unsure of what to do as the knights marched off, but then he remembered that he had alcohol to buy and deliver to the tavern. He quickly rushed off towards the market, hoping that Ariela and Syrenne wouldn't be too disappointed with the late delivery.


	4. A little reunion

_4. A little reunion_

"Dang it, they're catching up!"

Two teenaged figures ran through the crowds of people, determined to lose the Lazulis guards' trail. One of them wore a bandanna, with a katana blade sheathed. He was holding on the wrist of the other, a girl who had long, orange hair tied back in two pigtails.

"Where should we hide now, Kai!?" The girl shouted, glancing back at the guards.

"Over here!" Kai immediately pulled her into a nearby alley, and the guards ran past them. The samurai paused, glancing out from the alley to see if there were any guards around. "...I think we lost them, Monica."

"Good." Monica sighed of relief, looking around. "Seriously, why did those guys blame us for the trouble? _They _were the ones stealing things from the people at the market!" She pouted. She paused, before speaking up again. "Kai...Don't you recognize him from somewhere?"

"Who?" Monica pointed, and Kai turned to see someone across the street walking into Ariela's tavern through the back door. He only saw the flash of tied back, long blond hair, but he knew who it was.

"General Manager..." Kai trailed off, before turning towards Monica. "He's been here for the past three weeks, too? It wasn't just us...He was here as well."

"We can't just not go talk to him! C'mon!" The queen of patisserie grabbed her boyfriend by the arm and started to drag him towards the tavern.

"Monica." Kai pulled himself back a bit, stopping his girlfriend in her tracks. "We have to go around and enter from the front." Monica just let out a sigh and started to drag him around the building in response.

* * *

"I've got the two crates of bananas, one crate of alcohol and a bag of sugar, just as you have requested."

"Good." Ariela paused, looking up from the stove towards Sylvan. "Just put them in the storage room for now."

"Got it." Sylvan carried the items towards the storage room, placing them in the appropriate shelves. Alcohol, bananas and sugar could be heavy when carried all at once, but he was strong enough to do so. He readjusted his ponytail before going to the counter to do his duty with serving the drinks and taking the orders for food. "Welcome, may I take your-"

He paused immediately as soon as he realized that two familiar people were standing in front of him across the counter.

"Your order?" Meister finished lamely, blinking a bit in surprise. "Adenauer-san? Suwabara-san? What are you two doing here?" He wasn't expecting these two out of all people to be here...And at such an inconvenient time, too, during work...

"We were going to ask the same question." Monica responded, crossing her arms. "You've been here for the past three weeks, and Kai and I only noticed seeing you just now before you went into the tavern! If you had seen us earlier, it would have been nice to see you sooner!"

"Adenauer-san, I didn't see you or Suwabara-san until now." Meister responded, letting out a sigh. He glanced about the bar, before speaking up. "Look, I can't continue this conversation right now, I'm working so we can continue this after my shift is over-Do you have anything you would like to drink or eat, possibly, while you're waiting for me? It's going to be at least an hour or two until I'm done." He ended quickly.

Kai and Monica glanced at each other, before Kai spoke up. "Well, I guess if there is anything non-alcoholic I'm fine, really. And I'm not hungry, either."

"Is water alright?" Meister asked quietly. Kai just nodded in response, before Monica ordered the same. The older man quickly rushed off to get the ordered drinks.

Monica sighed, before turning towards Kai. "I'm glad he's alright." She spoke up, smiling a little. "He seems to be doing well."

"Yeah. That's good." Kai agreed, nodding once. He glanced at Meister, who had paused in his journey to bring water to them to talk with a bandanna-wearing lady who looked a bit younger than him.

"You should probably take the rest of the day off, Sylvan." Kai heard the lady speak. "It would be good for you to have some time to spend with your friends. And the rest of the staff and I can manage things here, too."

"Thank you, Ariela." Meister was heard responding, before bringing the water over to the two. "Here you go, it's on me."

"Thanks." Monica drank the water in one gulp before continuing. "...Do you want to talk?"

Meister nodded once. "Yes. In my room. We'll have more privacy there."

Kai quickly downed his glass of water before the three went up the stairs and towards Meister's room. As soon as they entered the room, Meister shut the door behind him. He then turned towards them, before speaking up. "Well, I don't know where to start, so perhaps you both can explain to me first of how you've been doing lately if you don't mind..."

"Alright." Kai paused, before speaking up and crossing his arms. "Monica and I have been here in Lazulis for the past three weeks. We've been living with these two people, Horace and Meredith, and they run a shop that upgrades weapons. I've been working there by upgrading the weapons, and Monica helps out too by running errands. It's odd how none of us ran into each other at all in the past three weeks."

"Your story sounds very...Normal, I suppose. Wait, perhaps 'normal' isn't the right word for it...I'm not sure." Meister paused, before continuing. He let a hand rest on his hip as he let the other one dangle by his side. "...The first day here in Lazulis, I woke up on the rooftops of Lazulis Castle, was chased out of the castle by several guards and almost arrested for possible break-in when in reality I was trying to find help, almost got pick-pocketed by three children and ended up staying here. That's basically my story. I've been working here for the past three weeks as a bartender, cook, cleaning the place and running errands." He looked down at his attire. "Of course, I could be running around in Lazulis wearing my usual attire that I wear at Pantasia, considering that there are guards that have seen me in that attire and are out to get me. I also should mention that nice-looking clothing does not belong in a kitchen. It makes sense if you didn't recognize me until now..."

"You woke up on the rooftops of Lazulis Castle?" Monica repeated, her eyes wide. "How did you even get off those rooftops? They're so high up..."

"Honestly, it was a stroke of good luck that I didn't break a bone and the fact that I'm quite agile and such...That was probably how I got onto the ground safely." Meister responded, crossing his arms. "I haven't told anyone here at all about my real identity, so I've made the reasonable excuse that I'm a travelling magician, lost and in need of shelter until I find my way back home."

"You didn't tell them about who you really were?" Kai asked, tilting his head slightly.

"...Yes." Meister muttered quietly. "I mean, who would believe someone who looks like a magician saying that he works as a General Manager of Pantasia, a bakery chain? I'm sure they would think I'm mad! It was more believable to say that I'm a travelling magician..." He paused, hesitating before finishing. "I will tell Ariela, though, about who I really am. Eventually. I just need to figure out when the right time will be."

Before either of the other two could respond, two young boys suddenly burst into the room, panting and out of breath.

"You have to...Help us..." Leolio panted, trying to catch his breath.

"What's wrong?" Meister asked, turning towards them. "Where is Catoleya?"

"Some weird men took her!" Braso responded, taking a deep breath before continuing. "We followed them to the Flame and Lizard, but we couldn't get in! No one else would believe us, so we had to get to you! You have to help her!"

Meister took a deep breath, nodding once. He then turned to Kai and Monica.

"I suppose then, that means I'll have a chance to, ahem, bring out a few magic tricks." Meister spoke up quietly.

_This is going to be risky-people will see me in the outfit I first appeared in Lazulis in, and the guards might recognize me if they see me-but I doubt those 'weird men' are going to let me inside the Flame and Lizard if I'm looking like a regular civilian. I have to help her. _


	5. Flame and Lizard

_5. Flame and Lizar_d

"I never thought that we would ever come back here again." Lowell remarked quietly, crossing his arms as they stood in front of the Flame and Lizard.

"Again?" Meister repeated, confused.

Yurick let out a sigh before answering. "We've all been here before-well, except for you, Kai and Monica. We had to rescue a man's daughter from some stupid people back then. Of course, Zael and Dagran are not...here, but I think that considering the number of us we should be fine." Syrenne and Mirania seemed to exchange glances at the mention of this Zael and Dagran, as Monica noted to herself.

"Who are Zael and Dagran?" Kai asked. "Are they good friends of yours?"

"Well...Yeah. Zael is the Count of Lazulis. He used to be a mercenary alongside us." Syrenne responded. "Dagran was with us, too, but...he passed away."

"I'm sorry." The samurai responded, not intentionally wishing to touch upon a morbid subject. "Let's not talk about it now. We have to save that child... Meister, what's her name again?"

"Meister?" Mirania asked, confused.

Meister let out a sigh. "I'll explain later if I must. Saving Catoleya comes first." He responded. He walked towards the door, turning to the knob. It opened, to his surprise. "Hm...It's unlocked. That's odd, I thought that the villains would make sure no intruders would get in-"

An arrow whizzed past Meister's ear, before Kai tackled him down as more arrows flew through the air. Yurick immediately summoned a large fireball before blasting it through the doorway, and Meister winced as screams were heard afterwards.

"Let's hope that it wasn't Catoleya getting scorched..." Lowell trailed off, wincing. Syrenne just jabbed him in the arm. "Ow!"

"Don't make things sound worse than they are, idiot!" Syrenne muttered, before everyone rushed into the tavern. There were several figures inside the tavern, and the cloaks they wore concealed their faces and bodies from view. Lowell immediately got into action, starting to summon an ice spell while Mirania got ready to make a healing circle. Syrenne and Kai took out their swords and ran straight towards the men, slashing at them. Meanwhile, Monica and Meister both kicked and punched at any of the unarmed kidnappers that tried to get near them.

It didn't take too long to take out most of the men. Soon, it was only their leader that was left.

"Let Catoleya go." Meister spoke up, crossing his arms. "You're outnumbered anyway, and if you refuse to do so, you will most likely suffer terribly under my friends' hands, so I suggest you do that."

"As if I would, you bloody bastard!" The leader shouted back, taking out a sword and pointing it at the young girl. "One step and she dies!"

"Why would you bother trying to kidnap a child in the first place?!" Monica shouted, her hands balling into fists. Syrenne even glared at the leader, pointing one of her swords at him. "What do you plan to use her for-ransom, or what!?"

"Wouldn't you want to know..." The leader chuckled, before holding up a lamp. He then smashed it into a wooden pillar nearby, and it caught on fire. The leader ran out the back door, just as the flames continued to eat at the wood surrounding them. Falling splinters of wood, completely ablaze, fell across the doorway of the back door.

"Get her and run!" Meister shouted to the others. Yurick quickly scooped up Catoleya in his arms as he and the others headed for the door. Everyone was about to make it through until-

Meister was completely blocked from leaving the burning building.

"Dang it!" Kai cursed, before shouting to Meister. "We'll get help! Just hang in there!" He turned towards Lowell. "Do you know any water magic or something like that so we can put out this fire!?"

"Ice isn't going to help in this situation, the fire would just melt it!" Lowell responded, and Kai let out a scowl in response to that.

"We have to get help. Now! Can any of us run really fast to Lazulis Castle and get help from there!?"

"I'll do it!" Mirania responded, before rushing off.

Syrenne looked up at the burning building. "Dang it, Sylvan...hang in there..." She muttered quietly.

* * *

"Zael! Callista!"

A brown-haired man and a whitish-platinum-haired woman turned to see Mirania approach them.

"What is it?" Zael asked quickly, getting to his feet. "Is there anything wrong?"

"The Flame and Lizard is on fire, and someone is trapped in there because we had to rescue someone from some kidnappers." Mirania explained quickly. "Lowell, Syrenne, Yurick and some of the guy's friends are trying to get help..."

Callista turned towards Zael. "I'll alert Therius of this." She spoke up.

Zael nodded in response. "Yes, Callista. We should also ask him to bring some guards as well."

* * *

As soon as Sir Therius arrived at the Flame and Lizard, many civilians had come out of their houses to see the burning building. He noticed a black-haired teen, wearing a bandanna over his face, and spoke to him. "Someone is in there?" He asked quickly.

"Yes." The teen responded quickly, glancing at the building. "He made sure the rest of us got out first. He was going to get out, too, but he got trapped. The entrance is blocked..."

Therius glanced at the blocked off entrance. It wasn't in flames, which was good, but it soon would be if he didn't get the guy out in time. He immediately climbed over the wreckage and ended up inside the burning tavern. "Hang on!" Therius shouted, hoping that whoever was trapped in this place would hear him. "I'm here to help you!"

He immediately caught sight of a blond-haired, masked man who looked at him in surprise. "S-Sir Therius?" He stammered slightly, and Therius recognized the voice's owner immediately.

"It's you...from before." The white knight asked, surprised. "What are you doing here, dressed in such fanciful clothing?"

The blond sighed a bit. "Can we deal with this later, please? I don't think being in a burning building is a good place to hold a conversation."

"You have a point." Before either of them could do anything else, more flaming rubble fell ontop of the wreckage that blocked the entrance, setting it aflame. "Drat."

The other paused, before noticing the stairs. "Maybe there is a window that we could jump out of upstairs. C'mon!" He grabbed Therius by the hand and the two ran up the stairs quickly, avoiding more flaming rubble that fell from above. They reached the second floor, just as the stairs started to catch fire. "We have to hurry!"

Therius found a nearby window and broke it with a fist, before shouting. "We're up here!" The white-haired knight shouted to the civilians below. "Get a tarp ready or something so we can land safely!"

As the civilians scrambled to find a tarp or something similar below, as a chunk of roofing nearly hit Therius, had the blond not tackled him out of the way. The two got up quickly, and approached the window again just as the tarp was being stretched open by the civilians. "You first." Therius spoke to the blond.

The other shook his head. "No, you."

Therius let out a sigh, before grabbing the blond by the arm and pulling him out of the window alongside him. As they fell, they seemed to roll about in the air, and once they landed on the tarp and were lowered to the ground, Therius realized that during the fall the other must have grabbed onto him. The blond was holding him tightly with both arms, to help him brace for the not-so-smooth landing.

Both men exhaled, just as the Flame and Lizard completely collapsed to the ground. They helped each other up, and Therius looked up at the blond in front of him.

"I heard of what happened prior to the fire." Therius started. "I must say that you were brave to try to rescue the girl, but you could have informed the other guards to have more assistance. It's not that I doubt your friends, but it would have been wise to inform them of such a conflict."

"I'm aware of that. But to be honest, the last time I asked the guards for help, they were not very helpful at all." The man responded quietly. "I didn't think they would think of using their time to save a young child, so I asked them for help." He finished, gesturing to Kai, Monica and the ex-mercenaries.

"I see." Therius went silent for a moment, before continuing. "My I inquire of what your name is?"

"Of course, sir. My name is Sylvan Kirisaki-"

"THERE HE IS!" Before Sylvan could finish, he was punched in the stomach and forced onto his knees. "You're under arrest for attempted break-in of Lazulis Castle, disturbing the peace and attempted murder of the castle guards!"

"What!?" Sylvan weakly choked out, his eyes widening slightly. "I-I-"

He was kicked in the face by one of the guards, and the titanium mask was forced off his face with a sickening _crack. _Sylvan choked a bit, and Suwabara was about to take out his sword when Mirania quickly restrained him from doing so.

"Cease this immediately." Therius spoke up, turning towards the guards. "What is this that you speak of?"

"Sir Therius, this man has attempted to break into Lazulis Castle three weeks ago, as well as disturbing the peace and nearly murdering ten of the guards in the process as he escaped." The guard answered quickly.

"Murder them?" Sylvan spoke up, looking at the two. "I was trying to defend myself-"

"Silence, you fool!" The guard kicked Sylvan in the stomach, and the blond let out a sharp gasp of pain. "Take him to the dungeon!"

Sylvan glanced at Therius, his eyes silently pleading for help, but a sharp kick to the head from the guard was what he got before he blacked out completely.


	6. Interrogated

_6. Interrogated _

_"Meister?"_

_"GM!"_

Meister blinked open his eyes to see Kai and Monica kneeling by his side. The General Manager of Pantasia felt a bit weak, and did his best to sit up, only to realize that he was sitting up already, leaning against the wall behind him. As his vision cleared more, he noticed the dim lighting of the room, and the cold iron bars lined up beside each other opposite him.

"We got arrested." Meister spoke quietly, letting out a sigh and looking downwards towards the grimy floor. "I understand why I was, but what about you two? You didn't assault ten soldiers, did you?"

"No. They accused us of stealing when they were the ones that stole food themselves." Kai muttered quietly, his teeth gritting. "Those stupid guards...they're not supposed to be breaking the law, they should be upholding the law..."

Monica glanced around before speaking up. "I overheard some of the other guards speaking about sending you to be interrogated once you gained consciousness..." She trailed off quietly. She paused, before continuing. "Will you be alright in there?"

Meister nodded, and the two teens helped him stand. "I should be. Or at least, the both of you should be if not me." He responded quietly, looking up to see a guard walking towards their cell. "Everything that happened was my fault, anyway."

* * *

The crowds of people in the Interrogation Room all chattered among one another as Meister Kirisaki walked into the center of the room, his mask having a crack at the left side of it, and his titanium eyes looking straight towards Lord Zael and Lady Callista Arganan. Both rulers of Lazulis were young-definitely younger than Meister. They must have been only in their late teens, about the same ages as Monica and Kai except slightly older.

Zael was a young man with short, brown hair. Meister noticed that there were a few feathers in his hair, and his blue eyes seemed to not have a judging tone as Meister thought there would be. Instead, there seemed to be a more concerned tone to them, as if desperately wanting to know what exactly was going on in this situation.

Callista was a young lady with long, platinum-white hair. Her hair was down, with nothing to decorate it, and her blue eyes also seemed to have the same tone as Zael's eyes did.

One of the guards began to speak. "Lord Inquisitor," He started, "Twenty of us guards, one maid, and several nobles have witnessed this man attempting to break into Lazulis Castle through a window, and escaping by leaping down to the courtyard and going into the castle to get through the main doors. Ten of us guards followed him, only to be almost murdered by him as we lost his trail. Five of us are currently in the hospital wing, recovering from cracked collarbones and all sorts of nasty injuries. Tell me, what do you have to say to this?" He finished, turning towards Meister.

Meister took a deep breath before calmly speaking. "I was _not_ trying to break into Lazulis Castle, contrary to what all of you have assumed. I do admit, however, that I was trying to open a window to get inside the castle so I could ask for help. I found myself on the rooftops of the castle, and didn't have much of an idea that this city or castle went by the name of Lazulis." He took another deep breath before continuing. "I was trying to ask the maid through the window for help, though obviously she didn't hear me and fainted before I could explain further. It was then that one of the guards arrived and tried to shoot me without even asking for an explanation. I dodged, leaping downwards towards one of the lower roofs before assessing my surroundings, and-"

"You..._'found yourself'_ on the rooftops? It sounds highly _illogical._ How does one 'find oneself' suddenly on the rooftops?" The guard interrupted, crossing his arms. "It sounds like nonsense to me."

"Anyone here, including the defendant and the accused, will refrain from speaking out of turn." The Inquisitor snapped, before motioning to Meister to continue.

"As I was saying earlier before being interrupted, I leapt downwards towards one of the lower roofs before assessing my surroundings. I then figured that it was not safe for me to stay in the castle, and therefore I waited for the right time to flee. I took my chances, braced myself, and leapt downwards into the Courtyard." Meister continued.

"Excuse me for interrupting, but did you just say you _leapt _all the way into the _Courtyard_ from the _roof?" _Zael spoke up, his facial expression turning towards surprise. "How is it possible for you to do so without breaking a limb?"

"I admit I am quite agile and have my skills in some acrobatics. It was also a bit of luck as well that I didn't land on any person in the process, which would have been quite terrible." Meister responded quietly. "I leapt into the courtyard. I then ran away, and ten of the guards proceeded to chase me. I understood why, because the guards _are_ supposed to do their duty of getting rid of intruders and keeping the peace, and I knew that none of them would wish to hear any explanations as of how I got into the castle in the first place." He paused, before finishing. "Therefore, I took the initiative to defend myself, and I do admit that I beat up the guards in the process. I was not thinking of anything towards murder but rather self-defense, as I did warn and apologize to them beforehand. This would have given them a chance to back away or flee before I attacked. Obviously, none of them decided to take that chance-hence the injuries they received. I do apologize for the inconvenience this has brought upon your military, sir."

Zael observed the masked, older man carefully. He was a polite man, surely, to apologize like that. And taking his point of view into the matter, it seemed to make sense of why he would beat up those guards. But still-how did he end up on those rooftops in the first place? Zael asked that question to Sylvan Kirisaki.

"I do not know, sadly." Sylvan Kirisaki responded, shaking his head slightly. "I merely woke up on the rooftops. I don't know anything of what happened prior to that, so I assume that it's possible that I was teleported here by some sort of supernatural means or got here in some way. I never thought of the idea of alternate worlds existing, nor did I think of teleportation actually existing, either."

"You come from another world?" Callista asked, intrigued. "Where, exactly?"

The masked man paused, before responding. "...I come from an island country called Japan, madam. Specifically, the city of Tokyo, Japan. I did, however, go through my childhood in another country called France, in the city of Paris. I came to Japan to find work, and I eventually became the General Manager of a bakery chain called Pantasia." He seemed to chuckle slightly at this, and he looked down at his fanciful, frilled clothing before continuing. "I know. It must seem outrageous that someone so fancifully dressed as I is not a noble, but merely a baker. When I ended up in Lazulis and ran away from the castle, I took refuge in Ariela's tavern for the past three weeks and took on a different identity. I lied to Ariela, as well as others, about my identity. I pretended that I was simply a travelling magician who had lost his way and needed a place to stay until he found a way to get home. I wasn't completely lying, though-or at least, I don't think so-since I am skilled in magic."

"Is this magic anything like the mages here in Lazulis?" Zael asked, crossing his arms.

Sylvan shook his head quickly. "No, nothing like that. The magic tricks I know could not fend too well against an entire army. Ten guards, however, seemed to be a bit easier, hence why they were injured during my escape. I could make a bird appear from underneath my mask, or pull a coin from behind one's ear. I cannot, however, create flaming spheres that I can throw at things to set on fire or freeze anyone in ice."

Some of the people in the crowd started muttering things among themselves, and Zael and Callista exchanged glances with each other. This man was being completely honest about everything, despite being unable to see it on his face. It was obvious that he did not wish to kill anyone. The guards, however, did not look convinced.

"How can you think of believing a word that this man says?!" The guard spoke up, pointing at Meister. "The things he is stating could be nothing but lies! Japan? What sort of odd country is that!? Coming from another world...it sounds completely unreasonable to me!"

"Lord Zael? Lady Callista?"

Both rulers of Lazulis glanced towards Sylvan Kirisaki, who had spoken up. The older man paused, before speaking.

"If you must punish anyone for any crime being accused of, punish me. But please, I must ask that my friends, Monica Adenauer and Kai Suwabara, must be freed. They were not the ones to commit the crime of stealing from the market. I have heard from the people that the guards were the ones to do so, and blamed it on my friends." Some of the crowd immediately turned towards the guards in suspicion, and they cringed at the statement. The guard that was speaking against Meister glared at the masked man, but Meister continued. "This is my only request I have of you, and I understand if_ I_ have to be punished for the crimes that I am accused of." He gave a deep bow towards the both of them. "Please. That is all I ask, to let my friends go. This entire major mess is my fault, for trying to make reasonable excuses for my existence in this world. I don't want my friends to suffer because of me."

Before anyone could speak up, two people entered the room.

Everyone's eyes widened at the sight of Sir Therius and Ariela walking into the Interrogation Room.

"I apologize for interrupting this interrogation, but I believe he speaks the truth." Therius spoke up, taking a step forward. "Miss Ariela has informed me that he has been working at her tavern for the past three weeks, as a bartender, chef, and running errands for her, as well as cleaning the tavern when needed to. Therefore, he cannot be lying about that piece of information. Also, I have witnessed his rescuing of a child from the Flame and Lizard, and he made sure that everyone else was out of the tavern before he was. I went into the tavern to help him get out before it collapsed, and he helped me brace for the somewhat-rough landing when we had to jump out of the window. Therefore, he is not lying about his abilities, either." He paused, before finishing. "That leaves the part in which he supposedly 'attempted to break into Lazulis Castle,' as well as Sylvan Kirisaki reporting that he comes from another world. Can anyone say for sure that he comes from a different world, that he is telling the truth about his origins? It is possible, considering that he never even heard of Lazulis in the first place. And the maid that saw him has reported that he did try to speak to her prior to her passing out, and the knight who shot at him reported him trying to say something before he shot at him, so Sylvan Kirisaki is telling the truth."

"So you conclude that Sylvan is completely telling the truth, Therius?" Zael asked.

"No. I am not concluding, but confirming that he is." Therius stated, looking up at Zael.

"I see..." Zael and Callista paused. "Does anyone else wish to speak up in defense for him?"

"Yeah, us!" Everyone turned again to see Syrenne, Lowell, Yurick and Mirania stroll into the Interrogation Room. Zael and Callista seemed surprised, and the same went for Therius. "Just because he lied to us doesn't mean he's completely bad." Syrenne spoke up, crossing her arms. "I mean, who would have believed him if he said he was in charge of a bakery, anyway!? No one, I bet!"

"Yeah, that's true." Lowell responded, nodding in agreement. "Even if he lied to us, he's still a nice bloke. I mean, you should have been there whenever Syrenne got too intoxicated at the tavern and-"

"Lowell!" Syrenne elbowed him in the arm harshly.

"Ow!"

Yurick let out a sigh before continuing. "What we're all trying to say is that Sylvan should be declared innocent." He concluded for them. "There's more than enough evidence that his story is less of a lie than what the accusers have made up."

The guards seemed to glare at the four ex-mercenaries, as well as Therius and Ariela, but then Sylvan spoke up, turning towards Therius. He made a gesture for Therius to extend his hand, and the white-haired knight did so.

Sylvan dropped a couple coins into Therius' hand. "It's to repay you for helping me a few weeks back. I don't think it would be right to not repay you, even though you said you were alright if I didn't." He spoke quietly. Therius was silent for a moment, glancing at the coins before looking up at Sylvan.

"Thank you." Therius put the coins into his pocket, just as the Inquisitor spoke up.

"In this case, the accused is declared innocent of the charges of attempted break-in of Lazulis Castle!"

The crowd broke into a cheer, but Sylvan immediately spoke up.

"Wait, what about the other charge? Of me 'attempting to murder' the guards?"

Everyone went silent.

Zael paused, cringing slightly before speaking up. "Well, although it is true that you were not trying to murder them, half of those ten guards are hospitalized because of your assault..." He trailed off quietly. "I'm afraid you're guilty of _assaulting_ the guards, Sylvan Kirisaki, though you will not be imprisoned for this crime if..."

* * *

"How much is the fine?" Kai asked, his head tilting to the side quietly.

"Five thousand gold coins." Sylvan muttered quietly, letting out a sigh. "I'm in debt again..." He paused, before looking up at the four ex-mercenaries and Ariela. "I want to thank all of you for defending me in the Interrogation Room earlier. I do appreciate that you were willing to do so."

"Hey, we have to help out a friend, don't we?" Lowell spoke up, grinning.

"I say we celebrate with a drink!" Syrenne spoke up, crossing her arms. "How about it?"

Sylvan paused, before turning towards Ariela. "I'm sorry for lying to you in the first place, Ariela. I really mean it." He spoke quietly, looking downwards.

Ariela paused, before speaking up. "It's alright, Sylvan. I understand why you had to make those lies, and why you did what you did. It's okay."

Sylvan nodded quietly. "Thank you." He responded, smiling a bit. He paused, before realizing the absence of a certain white-haired knight. "Oh dear! Therius! I have to find him!" He started to run off, before he turned back towards Ariela and the others. "You can all go back to the tavern-I'll meet you there soon. I just need to go thank Therius!"

Sylvan dashed through the castle, determined to find the knight. He started asking whoever he could find-maids, knights, other servants and nobles-about Therius' whereabouts. The guards ignored him, the maids tried to be helpful, and the others had no clue of where the knight could have went.

Sylvan paused, thinking about how strenuous the trial was, and figured that one might need some fresh air to lighten up the mood afterwards. He swiftly headed towards the courtyard doors, and opened them.

He saw the white-haired knight as soon as he entered the courtyard. Sir Therius was standing near the fountain, and he turned to face Sylvan.

"Sir Therius, I-" Sylvan paused, before walking a bit closer to him. "I want to thank you for defending me in the Interrogation Room earlier." He bowed, wanting to give proper respect towards the knight. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Sylvan." Therius paused, before continuing. "There is no need to bow to me, however. I am not of royalty."

"But you're of a high rank." Sylvan responded quietly. "Aren't people supposed to treat them accordingly?"

"...I've seen too many knights in my time who care more about their rank than the people. I don't need to be pampered like that." The white-haired knight muttered, gritting his teeth slightly.

"I'm sorry." Sylvan murmured, looking down slightly. "I didn't mean..."

"No, it's alright." Therius paused, before continuing. "Something occurred to me earlier, and it is the fact that I wonder of how great your abilities are exactly. You said earlier in the Interrogation Room that you had abilities in magic and in some acrobatic skill. And though I have witnessed a bit of that at the Flame and Lizard, I feel the need to see it completely."

"Are you saying that I should prove my abilities to you?" Sylvan asked, unsure if he heard it correctly.

"Well, yes...in a duel." Therius responded, crossing his arms.

Sylvan paused for a moment, realizing what Therius was saying, before responding. "Erm, Sir Therius, I don't know how to use a sword..."

"Can you adapt to using one, possibly? Because I am willing to cross swords with you. You also do not need to depend on it entirely, taking your entire repertoire of abilities into account." Therius replied quickly.

"...True." _And I suppose it's a way to repay him for willingly defending me earlier..._

Meister mentally sighed to himself. From what the situation was looking like, it would take him a bit longer than usual to go join everyone else at the tavern.


	7. Arrow

_7. Arrow_

Kai looked around quietly, immediately realizing someone's absence at the tavern.

"Where's GM?" He asked Monica.

"I thought he was with us..." Monica trailed off. "He said that he needed to thank Therius for sticking up for him earlier, so maybe he's still chatting with that knight..."

"I'm not so sure..." Kai paused, before heading towards the door. "I'm going to go get him. He's been keeping us waiting enough."

"Wait up!"

* * *

Meister flipped backwards as Therius slashed at him, before Meister tried to stab Therius with the sword he awkwardly held in one hand. The white-haired knight countered, blocking the sword with his own sword quickly.

"Honestly, I don't think me and a sword are compatible with each other." Meister commented as he tossed the sword aside, before leaping onto the top of the fountain. He balanced himself on one foot, looking down at Therius as he continued. "I think I'm better with what I'm more accustomed to."

"Alright, then." Therius responded, still holding a balanced stance where he stood below. "Show me what abilities you used to send five guards to the infirmary, then."

"I'm not holding back." Meister warned, before jumping off the fountain and sending a few kicks flying towards him. Therius blocked each of them with his sword, before rolling out of the way at the last attempted kick. Therius then used the opportunity to try to slash at Meister again, who flipped out of the way.

Before either of the two could continue, another sword flung itself between them and pinned itself to the fountain.

Both stared at the sword in disbelief, before turning to see Suwabara, joined by the others.

"What's takin' you so long, Sylvan?!" Syrenne demanded. "We're not starting this party without you!"

"She's drunk already, isn't she...?" Yurick muttered under his breath, so most people didn't hear him.

"Er..." Meister paused, before explaining. "Sir Therius challenged me to a duel, because he wished to see how exactly I was able to send five guards to the infirmary. That's all. Just a friendly duel."

"I see." Kai pulled out his katana from the fountain, shaking it briefly to let some of the water drip off the blade, before pointing it at Therius. "I demand that you duel me, then. I would like to see the extent of your skill of the sword!"

"Suwabara, be polite, please...Therius is a knight, for goodness sakes..." Meister trailed off quietly, letting out a sigh.

"Oh, sorry." Suwabara paused, before speaking again. "I would like you to duel me, _please." _He muttered.

Therius paused, analyzing the samurai carefully. "I see your willingness to duel me." The white-haired knight spoke quietly, after a moment of thinking. "Alright. I accept your challenge." He turned towards Meister. "We'll finish our duel some other time."

"Sounds good. Thank you." Meister responded, nodding a bit as he went out of Suwabara and Therius' way. The two swordsmen faced each other, staring at each other, before they lunged at each other with their swords drawn.

Suwabara ducked as Therius attempted a stab, before Suwabara tried to slash the swordsman, who blocked it quickly. The two exchanged blows with their swords a couple times, before jumping back to take a quick breath.

"Not bad." Suwabara commented as he made eye contact with the knight.

"The same goes for you as well." Therius responded, before suddenly-

Meister soon realized moments later that he was on the floor, while Sir Therius had taken an arrow straight through his right shoulder.

"Therius!" Meister and the others ran over to him. "Are you alright?" He asked quickly, while looking around. A figure had been on the rooftops above, and had just went into the castle through a window. Meister figured it must have been the one who sniped the white knight... Meister gritted his teeth at this.

Therius weakly nodded as he tried to get up. "Take out the arrow." He rasped quietly.

"What?" Meister wasn't sure if he heard correctly. "But, Therius, you'll just bleed mor-"

"Take it out!" Therius snapped, cringing in pain. "The poison...I can feel it getting stronger..." He closed his eyes, shuddering from the poison's effects. "Take it out now..."

"Should I do it-"

"Yes! Now!"

Meister pulled it out as quickly as he could, and the knight let out a hiss of pain as Mirania analyzed the arrow carefully. Meister cringed at the blood that spilled out from Therius' shoulder wound.

"It _is_ a poison arrow." The black-haired healer spoke up. "My healing magic can help, but we should get Therius to a safer place-whoever shot him might have others to try to kill us here."

"Got it." Meister didn't hesitate, and he, with Lowell's help, pulled Therius up and quickly started to drag him towards the hospital wing. As Meister and Lowell carried Therius out of the courtyard accompanied by Mirania, the others started to follow-until they caught sight of someone running past them, holding a crossbow in one hand.

"That's the guy who shot Therius! Get him!" Syrenne shouted, pointing. She, Suwabara, Yurick and Monica started to rush after the man. The man continued running, and even pushed past several maids and servants. "Out of our way! That guy shot Therius!"

Some of the other guards started to try to surround the man, who tried to get out of their way but failed to. The man suddenly tripped, slipping on a Prank Banana. Everyone turned to see Zael, with his crossbow drawn and Callista by his side.

"What is going on?" Callista asked quickly, walking over to them. "We heard about Sir Therius being shot-" She glanced at the man who had just tripped, and now was being restrained by other guards. "This man shot him?" She asked.

"He did." Suwabara responded, before taking out his katana blade and pointing it at the man's throat. "Why did you do this!?"

"I wasn't even aiming for him!" The man (who Monica recognized as one of the guards) retorted. "I was aiming for that bloody idiot who beat us guards up to a pulp, and he should have been put in prison for that! I was going to shoot him for a lesson to not mess with us!"

"Take him to the dungeon." Zael ordered some of the other guards. "He will pay the price for attempted assassination of Sir Therius and Sylvan Kirisaki." He then turned towards the others, before speaking further. "Therius is being healed by Mirania at the hospital wing. He should be alright."

"That's good." Yurick commented, before letting out a sigh. "

* * *

"Will Therius be alright?" Ariela asked Meister. It had been hours since Therius had been shot, and thankfully they had been able to drag him over to the hospital wing quickly and heal him in time. The two were at the tavern, as it was night and Therius had suggested everyone to go get some sleep ("It's just a flesh wound, and being hit by an arrow is nothing compared to being stabbed in the leg.").

"He should be alright, according to Mirania." Meister answered quickly. "Zael and Callista's guards caught the guy who shot Therius-and it turned out that it was the same guard that wanted me punished for the break-in of Lazulis Castle and such. I think it's...my fault, for not realizing this earlier. Therius was shot because of me, and I don't want to put anyone in danger."

"But that guy is locked up now, Sylvan. It's alright." Ariela tried to reassure him. She took one of his hands in one of her own quietly, the two making eye contact. "No one else is going to be in danger, I'm sure of it. And it's not your fault that Therius got shot-it's that guy's fault for shooting at you both in the first place! He should be the one to blame, not you. Don't apologize for something that you didn't do-it's not going to help anyone. Okay?"

Meister nodded, before Ariela left to go serve some drinks to Syrenne, who was waiting at the counter. Meister smiled a little to himself. He was glad that Therius was alright, that Meister himself wasn't in jail for assaulting those guards, that no one was killed...There were two things he had to worry about now. One of them was obvious-it was the large fine of gold coins to work off. The other one was something that he immediately realized. Heat rose to his face a little as soon as he knew what it was.

_I like Ariela..._

Heat rose even faster to his face as soon as that thought was processed in his mind. He had never actually felt anything so sentimental towards anyone-not in the romantic sense. What should he do? Should he confess-did she even like him back? Maybe Lowell could help-or he would make things worse...

This new situation was proving to be definitely difficult, and Meister doubted that it would get any easier anytime soon...


	8. Problems

_8. Problems_

"Lowell?" Meister had just handed him a drink when he spoke up.

"Yeah?" The blond, ice-haired mage asked, looking up at the older man. "What is it?"

"I need you to get Syrenne drunk for me, okay?"

"What?" Lowell stared at him in disbelief. "Did I hear wrong just now!? Usually you don't want me getting her drunk, Sylvan!"

Meister let out a sigh, before responding. "Lowell, look, it's an _emergency_ and I need to talk to you. I can't get you drunk, because you won't listen, and I have work right now..."

"Oh. Right." The ladies man then grinned at Meister. "It's easy to get her drunk-just give the strongest drinks available and she'll be puking in no time!"

"Um...Thank you, Lowell..." Meister quickly hurried over to the counter, and poured a few strong, alcoholic drinks-just as Syrenne was shouting for more. He carefully carried them over on a tray, before placing the glasses on the table and leaving quickly. "Forgive me, Syrenne..." He muttered underneath his breath as he returned to the counter.

"What was that, Sylvan?" He turned to see Ariela, who was a bit confused. The red-haired innkeeper was plating some chicken as she spoke up.

"Oh, erm, it's nothing Ariela. I was just talking to myself." He lied quickly, hoping that she didn't hear him correctly before. It would be bad if the one he admired found out that he got Syrenne drunk on purpose to get Lowell's advice on women. Yes, it would be really, _really_ bad.

Meister swore to himself that he would never, ever tell her about this. Ever.

The sound of vomiting caught his attention, and he immediately rushed over to Lowell and Syrenne's table to help drag the drunken woman up to the bathroom. As soon as the door was shut behind them and the puking continued in the toilet, Meister and Lowell both turned towards each other.

"So..." Lowell paused, before speaking again. "What is it that you needed my help with?"

"Er...it's a case involving a woman." Meister tried to word carefully.

Lowell immediately grinned. "Oh, I get it!" He exclaimed. "You finally want to get-"

"No, I do _not_ want to be in any sexual relationship with anyone-I'm saving it for marriage, alright!?" Meister snapped back, blushing of embarrassment.

Lowell nodded, smiling as Meister blushing continued. "Let me guess, _she_ wants to-"

"No." Meister interrupted, not wanting Lowell to continue with that theory.

"Hm..." Lowell paused for a moment, before speaking up again. "She got into a fight with you, and you want to make up?"

"...No. That's not it, either."

"Two women are fighting over you, and you have difficulty choosing. That happened to me tons of times-and all of them slapped me in the face at least once."

"You must be bad with the ladies, Lowell. I thought you would be better than that, considering that you seem to make them like you at least for a little bit."

"Shush. That is _my_ problem, and we're dealing with _yours_ right now." Lowell muttered, before he continued with his guesses. "She likes you, and you don't like her back."

"...You're getting closer."

"Aha!" Lowell let out a chuckle. "You like her and she doesn't like you, isn't it!? Syrenne was completely like that towards me, I swear!"

"Well...you're half right." Sylvan glanced at the now passed-out Syrenne before continuing. "I like her, but I don't know if she likes me back or not."

"Oh. I see. Hmm..." The younger man paused, putting a hand to his chin to stroke a non-existent beard as he thought in an attempt to look smart. "Who is it?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Trust me, Sylvan, I won't tell a soul about it." Lowell beamed. The older man let out a sigh, knowing that Lowell wouldn't give up on this until Meister gave in.

"It's Ariela..."

Lowell's eyes widened in disbelief, before he suddenly let out a howl of laughter. He was soon laughing to the point that he was bending over in pain.

"A-Ariela!? Her!? Oh, Sylvan, she's going to be one tough cookie to charm-she didn't even _realize_ the one time I tried to flirt with her that I _was_ flirting with her! Of all the girls that exist here in Lazulis, it's _her_ that you like!?"

"Oh, you-" Sylvan smacked him lightly on the head in embarrassment. "Stop laughing already! I don't find it too funny!" He crossed his arms and glared at the ice mage the best he could. "Do you have any advice about the matter, or are you going to just keep laughing?"

"Sorry, sorry it-"

"Oi! What are you two doing in the bathroom!?" Both men took a deep breath, and turned to see a more sober Syrenne, obviously ticked off at the presence.

"Oh, well-" Meister started to formulate a lie that involved him and Lowell dragging her to the bathroom because she was drunk, but Lowell cut in.

"You don't mind us keeping you some company while you puke, right? We get a pretty good view of you when you're bending in front of the toilet with your back to us."

_"OUT! BOTH OF YOU! NOW!"_ Syrenne shouted, taking out both her swords and waving them wildly at them in rage. _"Out, you perverts!"_

The next thing both knew, they had run out of the bathroom and slammed the door behind them. The two exchanged awkward glances with each other, before Meister whacked Lowell on the head again in frustration.

"Ow! What was that for!?" The ice mage demanded, rubbing his head as he looked up at the older man.

The now not-so-embarrassed Meister glared at him a little. "Please, Lowell, don't make the impression to Syrenne that I am a pervert and cause problems for everyone. Keep it to yourself..."

"Hey!"

* * *

**Author note: Lowell seems to be such a natural troublemaker, huh? **

**So...I haven't updated this fic in a while. I apologize for that-though it's not easy if you have a gazillion multi-chapter fics to work on, though. Thanks for your patience!**


	9. Asking her out

_9. Asking her out_

Getting the help of Lowell obviously didn't help solve the problem.

Meister let out a sigh as he sat down at a table after getting a glass of water for himself. Of course Lowell wouldn't help solve the problem-or maybe it was because of the situation that Meister himself caused earlier. Getting Syrenne drunk probably wasn't a good idea-the poor ex-mercenary was nursing a hangover already, and it was only late in the morning...

Worst of all, Meister had gotten no advice at all about his situation involving Ariela.

"Sylvan?" He turned to see Mirania sit across from him. "Is anything the matter?" She asked quietly, looking at him with a concerned look on her face.

"Well..." He hesitated for a moment, before answering. "Yes."

"Is it about Syrenne? I'm sure she should be alright-just don't give her anymore alcohol so she won't get any more intoxicated than she already is." Mirania tried to reassure him. "It's alright-it's happened before. You know that, right?"

"I know, but that's not what I was worried about." He bit his lip, before speaking up again. "It's...Ariela."

"What is it about her, Sylvan?" The young mage paused, before continuing. "Did you two fight recently or something?"

"No, actually...I kind of, well...I have sentiment feelings towards her." He finally managed to say, taking a sip of water before continuing. "The thing is, I don't know if it's really a good idea to tell her-what if she sees it as some sort of burden on her? What if she doesn't like me back, and doesn't want to spend any time with me outside of work?"

"Well," Mirania started, "You don't have to necessarily tell her your sentiment feelings towards her to keep her company outside of work. I think it's alright to ask her to spend some time with you. Maybe taking a walk around the city and holding a conversation with her would be alright, I'm sure..."

"So, you decide to ditch my help because of Syrenne being drunk? Come on, Sylvan!" The two turned to see Lowell approach them. "It wasn't that bad, was it?"

"You made fun of me for liking Ariela." Meister snapped a little, giving Lowell the tiniest hint of a death glare. "If your master plan to help me is to cause chaos, then no thank you-I don't need your help."

Lowell looked a bit hurt. "Hey, I'm sorry Sylvan. I didn't think it would hurt you that bad. I'm sorry." He gave an honest look. "Forgive and forget?"

Meister let out a sigh. "Alright, Lowell. I do."

Lowell nodded, before sitting down. "So, you're trying to ask her out?" He asked.

"Um, yeah." Meister muttered as he blushed a little bit. "Just for the afternoon, considering that work gets more intense at night and in the morning because that's when we're taking care of most of the drunk and sober customers."

"Oh, right..." Lowell paused for a moment, before speaking up. "You know Kentis?"

"Yeah, I know him. He works in the kitchen most of the time and make sure nothing gets too chaotic." The older blond responded, confused. "Why do you ask?"

"Kentis is_ Ariela's dad._ I think you might want to get on his good side _before_ you try to ask her out." Lowell whispered to him in a low voice. "Considering that you've been stirring up some _chaos_ in the past while, I think it might be a _while_ before he trusts you..."

"Oh, crap." Meister muttered quietly, just as Ariela walked over.

"Is anything wrong?" Ariela asked, concerned.

"Um..." Meister trailed off, but Lowell beat him to it.

"Sylvan wants to ask you out!"

"Lowell!" Meister snapped at the younger man, punching him in the arm as he blushed of embarassment.

"Ow!" Lowell yelped, rubbing his sore arm. "I'm going to get a bruise, you know!" Mirania let out a sigh, shaking her head as Ariela stared at the two.

"Don't tell me that one of you at the least are drunk..." Ariela trailed off quietly.

"N-no! I'm not drunk, I swear it!" Meister protested. "And-and, well, Lowell was telling the truth..." He trailed off sheepishly.

"Oh." Ariela seemed to hesitate, confused, and Meister took the opportunity to try to explain further and save himself from any embarassment.

"I just thought it would be nice to spend some free time together. As friends." He murmured quietly, and Lowell face-palmed himself as if saying, _You just missed an opportunity to make it a real date, Sylvan!_

Ariela's confused face turned into a smile. "Ah, I see! I suppose with all the chaos in the past while that we haven't really been able to hang out during the times when we don't have work. Maybe we could hang out this afternoon-do you have any places you want to go to?"

Meister blinked, surprised, before responding quickly. "Um, well, I wasn't really sure-I was thinking we could walk around Lazulis City and just chat. That kind of thing..."

Ariela nodded. "That sounds good. I think we could probably go out at one this afternoon, and we'll have to be back by four..." She glanced at the people that just entered the tavern, thirsty. "I better get back to work. And Sylvan, your shift starts in five minutes from now, by the way." She walked towards the counter, getting orders from the customers that stood by.

Meister watched Ariela walk away for a moment, before he turned to Lowell, who was shaking his head.

"What?" Meister asked, confused. "I did ask her out..."

"But...'as friends?' You know you like her-why didn't you just confess to her!?" Lowell exclaimed.

"You told me that Kentis probably wouldn't trust me if I asked her to go out as if we're dating or something. As friends, he probably wouldn't mind as much..." Meister tried to explain. He let out a sigh, before giving both Lowell and Mirania a serious look. "Please do _not_ tell anyone about this-and don't go following us around, either. Please..."

Lowell and Mirania exchanged glances with each other, before nodding in response.

Meister grabbed his empty glass of water and walked behind the counter and into the kitchen.

He had work to do. Focusing on his 'date' with Ariela would come after that.


End file.
